Candida Yeast, could you have it? PART 3

Oh my goodness, what a week! I am sorry it has taken me so long to get this post done but it is a very busy time. So today I am going to discuss how to treat candida. If you do it right, you should be able to keep the yeast under control in the future. Most people who have issues with yeast, treat it and end up in the same situation 6 months later. Treat it thoroughly and follow some easy maintenance steps and you should be able to keep it at bay. Candida treatment is a multi-faceted approach.

DIET
While you are doing a candida cleanse you need to eliminate certain foods from your diet. These specific foods feed the yeast and make them stronger, we want to make them weaker. The foods you should avoid are:

• Sugar in all its forms including honey, maple syrup, fructose, table sugar and artificial sweeteners.
• Foods with yeast such as bread and pastries.
• Alcohol, pop, coffee, fermented beverages and cider.
• Condiments and sauces containing sugar and/or vinegar such as ketchup, mayonnaise, pickles.
• All fruits, juices and dried fruits.
• Mushrooms and fermented foods such as tofu, sauerkraut (oh no what will you do!!) and soy sauce.
• Cheeses
• Roasted peanuts and other nuts that are not raw.
• Most grains, pastas, rice and starchy vegetables (potatoes, corn etc) since they all turn to sugar in our system.

You might be thinking WHAT CAN I EAT??? The answer is lots, it is just a touch boring. But remember, it is only for 15-30 days and chances are you will lose a few pounds from the diet alone. So here is what your diet should be made up of:

• WATER 8-10 glasses a day minimum.
• Fresh veggies, raw or steamed.
• Lemons, limes and cranberries. If you really miss fruit you can have ONE green apple per day.
• Fish (except shellfish)
• As close to organic or free range chicken, turkey, beef or lamb that you can get your hands on. Remember you don`t need huge portions of meat so buy the best quality you can afford.
• Free range eggs.
• Plain yogurt with live bacterial cultures.
• Raw almonds and seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, flax etc).
• Herbal teas.
• Good quality oils for dressings (flax or olive) remember no vinegar can be added so use lemon juice and garlic.

You should follow the candida diet for the duration of treatment and then I always encourage clients to continue for an additional 2 weeks after. It is best that you adopt some of these dietary rules for your everyday diet to help keep candida at bay. The most important thing is to keep away from sugar or white poison as I like to call it!

TREATMENT PROGRAM

Ok, so we have covered the diet to follow and now we will cover the program to follow. Now I am an account manager for Renew Life so I am biased towards their products and know a lot about them. That being said, I am going to mention the ones out there that I would feel comfortable recommending outside of our line and I encourage you to do your own research. Choose the product that you feel most drawn to or that you feel will work with your lifestyle the best. The first layer of treatment is using an anti-fungal formula to kill the yeast

• Renew Life Candigone: This is a 15 day program that contains all of the well researched anti-fungal agents in both tincture and pill format. It works especially well if you have used anti-yeast products before because chances are your body has developed a resistance to one or more of the anti-fungal herbs. In Candigone, they have covered all of the bases so that if your body is resistant to Caprylic Acid for example, there is something else in the formula to pick up the slack.
• Dida: Dida is a 45 day program that contains many anti-fungal herbs but in a lower concentration hence the longer course of treatment. The formula is good however it is not meant to hit things hard and heavy. It is a more relaxed approach to treatment and you continue to take the product daily after treatment to maintain results. Can be a bit expensive long term.
• Innovite Yeast Busters Kit: This is a kit of 4 different products that you take for 3-8 weeks. It contains Caproil liquid, bentonite clay, psyllium and probiotics. There is not doubt that this works, especially the first time you use it. The issue is that it is awful to take: you basically mix the clay, fiber and caproil in a jar and drink it. As it moves through your system it (in their words) scrubs candida away and soaks up the toxins to eliminate them through the colon.

Any of these 3 options are good, they will all have results just in differing time lines. If you are using any of these options I would also recommend you use a product called CandiZYME. In the States, virtually any candida program has an enzyme product included in the protocol. For some reason, there are very few of these in Canada. The reason it is so important is that Yeast Organisms have a very thick and strong cell wall, which makes them difficult to treat. Taking CandiZYME on an empty stomach before bed works to break down that cell wall so that the anti-fungal program you choose can work much more effectively. If you want to do the job fully and correctly the first time, include CandiZYME.

Also if you choose either Candigone or Dida, include a good fiber source to bind up the yeast and carry them out of your system. You can increase the fiber in your diet but without being able to have fruits and grains on the Candida diet it can be difficult to get enough. I would recommend supplementing with milled flax seed or a blend such as FibreSMART or FibreLEAN. You don`t need to add additional fiber to the Yeast Busters kit because of the psyllium.

MAINTENANCE

After you have completed treatment, you want to maintain the results and that is very easy. Every woman, let me repeat EVERY WOMAN, should be taking a daily probiotic supplement. Probiotics are good bacteria that help to maintain the balance of good to bad bacteria in the gut. This helps us to keep yeast at bay, produce b-vitamins, increases our immune system and maintains regularity (great if you are constipated). Make sure when buying a probiotic that you buy one that is protected from the Hydrochloric acid in the stomach and that it contains a blend of acidophilus strains and bifidus strains. Sounds confusing? Your health food store will be able to help you pick a great one. I recommend Florasmart, Probiotic pearls, or New Roots enteric coated probiotics. You only need to take one a day regardless of the label recommendations if it is protected, if you buy one without a protected capsule or tablet you will need to take 2-3 daily if not more.

When you cleanse Candida, you can expect to have some days where you feel pretty bad. Headaches are common as is a feeling of fatigue. This is due to the die-off of the yeast. Drink lots of water, eat lots of fiber and you should be able to persevere. Remember it is short term pain for long term gain. Feel free to pop me an email if you have any more questions.

Candida Yeast, could you have it? PART 2

Hopefully you have done the Candida self test in my last post. If not, go and do it now. We will wait for you :)

So what are the symptoms of yeast overgrowth? There are so many but I will list the most common and these can occur in varying degrees depending on the severity of your Candida.

• Severe cravings for sugar
• Vaginal yeast infections
• Toe and Fingernail funguses
• Feeling of sore and weak muscles
• Oral Thrush (White pasty coating on your tongue)
• Gas and bloating
• Disruption in bowel habits (either diarrhea or constipation or they alternate)
• Sudden mood swings
• A feeling of brain fog meaning your memory is poor and you are easily distracted
• Extreme sensitivity to chemical odours, cleaning supplies or perfumes
• Acne, facial rashes, inflammed hair follicles
• Dandruff, dermititis and athletes foot

This list is not exhaustive and you could have all or just some of the symptoms. A friend of mine has written a wonderful e-book on Candida and it's treatment. I will attach the link below. It is a great resource and actually taught me things I didn't know and I have been teaching and lecturing about Candida for 6 years now. Tomorrow I will share my recommendations for treating Candida effectively and I will actually be beginning my own Candida cleanse as well.

Ryan's e-book can be found at: www.howtocurecandida.com

Candida Yeast, could you have it? PART 1

For the next few days I am going to cover the who, what, when, where and why of Candida. For those of you that haven't heard of this before, you are not alone. While most of us have or have had yeast overgrowth in our systems in our lifetime, most cases go undiagnosed. Candida is an overgrowth of yeast in the the human body. Our digestive tract contains small amounts of yeast at all times, this is normal. However when a dysbiosis occurs with the good bacteria in the gut (that means an imbalance of bad to good bacteria), yeast organisms are able to overgrow. We run into real problems when the yeast is able to leave the digestive tract and enter the blood stream. This leads to a systemic problem which can affect the vagina, mouth, skin, urinary tract, organs, tissues, finger and toe nails. This is known as Candidiasis and is a considered a medical condition.

There are an alarming number of Canadians dealing with Candida due to the use of broad spectrum antibiotics. These over prescribed drugs disrupt the delicate bacteria balance in the body allowing yeast to proliferate. Other factors that can lead to an overgrowth of yeast in the body are:

• Steroids (such as asthma inhalers)
• Birth Control Pills
• Anti-inflammatory drugs
• A poor diet that is high in sugar and refined carbohydrates
• Stress
• Nutrient deficiencies
• Heavy metal toxicity or parasites

To find out if you may be dealing with Candida overgrowth, please do the attached quiz. At that link you will also find a quiz for children. You may have to cut and paste the link into your Internet window. Take some time to answer the questions, I will dive deeper into Candida in the coming days.

http://www.renewlife.ca/pdfs/condition/pdf2_condition_3_Self%20Test%20-%20Candida.pdf

If you cannot view the above link, please email me and I will email the quiz to you.

Busy Week!

Hi everyone, I am sorry that there hasn't been a post since Monday. Month end is always a very busy time. I am on a race to reach 2 goals: $4000 in sales Monday and Tuesday to reach my quota for September and then I need to get 4 pounds off by next Sunday (October 5th) to be down 30 pounds! Might be a challenge with a Girl's Weekend this weekend and two business lunches next week (Thai both days so it will be Mango Salad and Chicken Satay for me). But I have the goal in the forefront of my mind so I know I can achieve it.

Please remember that if you have any topics you want me to cover or questions you need answered, email me. Next week I am going to dive into the world of Candida overgrowth, some very cool stuff.

Have a wonderful weekend! :)

Happy Anniversary to me (and my hubby I suppose!)

Today is our one year wedding anniversary and we went away for a romantic weekend to Collingwood and Blue Mountain Village. We had an incredible time, it was great to get away just the two of us. We didn't follow our program this weekend but this morning we were both only up 1.5 pounds, not bad at all since I know it will be back off tomorrow. The food was awesome and something pretty awesome is happening to my stomach. I can't eat nearly as much as I used to be able to. When you drink a meal or two every day instead of eating it your stomach doesn't get stretched out so much. So now I am finding I am fuller much quicker. A plate of risotto would have never lasted in front of me a few months ago but on Saturday night at dinner, I could only eat 1/3 of what was on the plate. A wonderful feeling indeed!
I LOVE THIS WAY OF EATING!!

Choosing A Multivitamin

We have all seen the commercials about Multivitamins on TV: "Complete from A to Zinc" but is taking a daily multi really necessary? I think so but you have to choose carefully. I look at multivitamins to fill in gaps that might be missing in your diet. That being said, there is no substitute for good foods because they bring with them fiber, antioxidants, water and other benefits to our body. I also think that you need to look at your state of health and family history and supplement in addition to your multi. For example, if you are overweight with varicose veins and a family history of heart disease I would recommend a multi plus chromium, Vitamin E and Fish oil at a minimum. If you smoke, you need extra Vitamin C, E and B Vitamins. This is where seeing a Nutritionist (not a Dietitian, I will explain the difference in an upcoming blog) would be very beneficial.

So what multivitamin should you choose? Stay AWAY from the no-name and pharmacy brands such as Centrum and One A Day. Many of the vitamins in these supplements are synthetic form and your body cannot recognize them properly. In fact, some synthetic vitamins can actually harm the body (although you would have to take a lot). They use these forms to keep the product cheap but with multis, like anything in life, you get what you pay for. Also look at the list of "other" or "Non-medicinal" ingredients, it is longer than the list of nutrients in the product! This means there is a lot of crap (binders, fillers, artificial colours and preservatives) in amongst the vitamins which make it hard for your body to absorb.

For many people, a multivitamin is the only supplement they take so it is important to make sure it is of high quality, natural source, easy for the body to absorb and complete. Here are my recommendations for getting the best Multivitamin for you:

• Visit your local health food store or your natural health practitioner to get your multi, stay away from drugstores, grocery stores and Costco. In general the better products are at the health food store plus it is nice to support a small business.
• Try to ensure that your multi has a B 50 Complex in it, when you find this it is likely that all of the other vitamins and minerals are at a good level in the product. Ask for help and they will be able to show you the options with a B 50.
• Opt for capsules and softgels instead of tablets. Not all multivitamins in a tablet format are bad but with all of the binders to hold the tablet together, your body has to work harder to break them down. You may need to take 2-3 capsules but even if you only took one per day you would still be getting far more benefit than from taking one of the popular drug store brands.
• Take your multi after breakfast to avoid becoming nauseated. The B-vitamins can be hard on an empty stomach.
• You can buy multivitamins that are gender or age specific. I am not so concerned about gender specific vitamins, I just buy a good quality one that both my husband and I can take. However if you are a single woman or man, you might as well buy a good woman's or man's multi. As far as age goes, I do think that anyone over the age of 50 should buy an iron-free multi because excess iron can cause joint inflammation. All multis specific for this age group are iron free.

The ones I feel comfortable recommending when I am helping out at one of my health food stores are:

Platinum Naturals Super Multi (this is the one my husband and I take because it is in a soft gel, hemp oil base which helps with fat soluble vitamin absorption).

Progressive Nutrition MultiVitamins (these are age and gender specific however I think they do have a basic one as well).

Flora Multi

Other brands that are safe bets are Sisu, Natural Factors, New Chapter, Greens Multi and Now brand.

If you don't take one, go to your local health food store and buy a good multivitamin today. Look at it as a little bit of daily heath insurance.

Why Cleanse?? Part 2

So we know why we should cleanse right? Our bodies are not meant to deal with the burden that we place on them, cleansing helps to ease that burden.

So how do you cleanse? Well there are lots of different options actually but the 3 most common are: Fasting or Juicing, Nutritional Cleansing and Herbal Cleansing.

• Fasting or Juicing: Many cultures fast periodically for health or spiritual reasons. It is gaining popularity in western society and there are even retreats you can attend to fast in a controlled environment. How fasting works to cleanse is that it takes the burden of digestion off the body, allowing all of the bodies functions to perform better. Enzymes which are usually used for digesting food travel to the intestine and blood stream where they "clean" the system of dead and damaged cells, pollutants and unwanted bacterias. Fasting also gives the major organs a rest so that they can become rejuvenated. Sounds great right? Fasting is not for everyone, especially if you have a highly physically demanding job or blood sugar issues. Most people who fast do so for 3-10 days although there are people who do it for much longer. Please proceed with caution if you do decide to fast.
• Nutritional Cleansing: This is a wonderful way to cleanse the body by flooding it with minerals, vitamins and other nutrients. These nutrients help the fuel the body and nourish it so that it works optimally. When you support the body with the proper nutrition, your liver, kidneys, bowel etc all are able to release and eliminate toxins efficiently. Nutritional cleansing can and should be done on a regular basis.
• Herbal Cleansing: Currently this is likely the most popular way of cleansing the body. Herbal cleanses are usually sold as kits with products to cleanse the organs and support the bowel. It is very important that if you are going to cleanse your liver you make sure you are not constipated. If the toxins are dumped into the bowel and sit there, they will be reabsorbed. Either deal with the constipation first or buy a herbal cleanse that addresses that issue (2-3 bowel movements a day is ideal!). Herbal Cleanses use formulas of herbs, minerals and amino acids that help the organs of detoxification to increase their output. These kits usually last between 7 - 30 days (30 days is ideal to do the job fully although a 7 day cleanse done every month is also effective). You would do a 30 day cleanse 2-4 times per year.

As a general rule, these products we keep hearing about on the radio and TV infomercials are overpriced and under performing. To find a good cleanse, visit your local health food store or visit a Nutritionist. If you have any questions about cleansing, don't hesitate to email them to me.

Why Cleanse?? Part 1

We have all heard about cleansing or detoxing our body (not to be confused with the detox that Brittany Spears is forced into bi-weekly). We read about cleansing in magazines, hear ads on the radio (that product we keep hearing ads about is crap by the way) and see products line the shelves of our health food store. It seems like cleansing has exploded overnight but this is not true, in fact cultures have cleansed for thousands of years.
Is it necessary to cleanse our bodies? YES!! If you drink alcohol or smoke, you need to cleanse. If you sit in traffic and breath in the fumes from cars, you need to cleanse. If you use plastic, make up, lotions, pharmaceuticals, eat non-organic foods or dry cleaning, you need to cleanse. Basically if you live in this day and age, YOU NEED TO CLEANSE.

Our bodies are amazing machines and they cleanse every minute of every day. For example, our kidneys and liver cleanse toxins so that they can be removed from the body via urine and our bowel. If you were to ask a Doctor if you should cleanse, chances are they would say "Your body does it for you" and this is true to a degree. Our bodies are bombarded with more toxins than ever in history. Cancer rates are through the roof, kids are developing liver disease, our bodies are nutritionally depleted and still most Doctors refuse to acknowledge that this could be in part due to our toxic environment and bodies. Our bodies weren't designed to handle and process the amount and types of toxins it is faced with today.

A study conducted by Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the Environmental Working Group tested volunteers blood and urine and what they found was shocking. There was a total of 167 chemicals found, an average of 91 in each person. Of these toxins, 76 caused cancer, 91 are toxic to the brain and 79 cause birth defects. These industrial toxins were even found in high levels in infants. This is scary stuff. Check out www.toxicnation.ca for studies they are doing on Canadians including our politicians.

More on how the importance of cleansing tomorrow.

Falling off the Weight Loss Wagon!

Well I fell off the wagon, rolled into the ditch and haven't quite gotten up yet! This past weekend was one filled with company dinners, quick bites in between clients and big breakfasts and I am paying for it on the scale. All this food, sodium and the lack of water I drank turned into a 4 pound weight gain in 3 days. Now I know this isn't all fat but it feels discouraging all the same.

So why do I fall so hard when I do fall? Well one thing is clear to me, I have no willpower when I am exhausted. I don't do well with late night dinners (9 pm is late for me). I overindulge and then don't sleep well. I also have always had an all or nothing mentality. If I screw up, why not go crazy?? Life is a series of challenges and set backs and going crazy is what got me to this place! I need to learn to treat each meal individually and make my decision based on the big picture. Not sure if that makes sense so here is an example. If I know we are having a company dinner on Saturday, I need to make good decisions for breakfast and lunch. My thinking has always been (and I do know better!!) that if I am having a big dinner then the whole day is a write off so why not enjoy it. This is fat person thinking, not healthy person thinking.

So what have I learned this weekend:

1. Being this heavy is hard on the body. 2 days on my feet and I feel like I have been hit by a bus! Next year will be MUCH better, this is a promise to myself.
2. When I am tired, I need to sleep. If I have a meeting or engagement I can't get out of I need to eat earlier and then just have a light bite with the group.
3. If possible I need to decide what I want to eat before I go to the restaurant by checking out the menu online. It is too tempting to make bad choices in the moment. I need to plan to succeed.
4. Still be accountable to someone. Jon and I are doing this program together but no one I work with really knows what I am up to. If I had someone I was accountable to and whom I knew was looking out for me this past weekend, maybe I would have passed on the creme brulee and second martini.

So this is me coming clean and now I will brush myself off and climb back onto the wagon. It may be a bumpy ride sometimes but it is all worthwhile to reach the destination.

Busy time ahead!

Hi guys,

There will be no blog for a few days while I am off at our yearly tradeshow. Will be a trying weekend for the waistline but my goal is to stay the same. I will let you know how I do when I get back. Have a wonderful weekend!

Goal setting 101

Most successful people in the world know what they want and they have a plan to get it. Goal setting is consistent trait among top achievers especially with regards to fitness and business. It makes sense right? You are training for a marathon, you have milestones or things you need to accomplish to get there. You see yourself finishing that race but there is a process of training to get to that finish line.

In my professional life, I have always been a goal setter and it has led to a lot of success for me. I work in sales and if I didn't have goals or quotas, I would have nothing to strive for. But I have never consistently done goal setting in my personal life. Sure, I have set goals on New Years Eve to get in shape and have more fun etc. But I have never truly set goals in writing and kept them in the forefront of my mind.

One of my favorite business Gurus is Brian Tracy. He talks a lot about the process of goal setting in all of his books on sales and self improvement. Being that I want to be a top achiever now for my health, I am going to use the tools he sets out to set some goals for myself and I will share those tips with you.

• Goals must be PRESENT, PERSONAL and POSITIVE. So an example would be:

"I am smoke-free" is better than "Quit smoking".

• Goals must be measurable and have a time line:

"I am smoke-free by November 2nd, 2008"

• Goals are 100 times more effective if written down and 1000 times more effective if rewritten every day. Have a book by your bed or on your desk that you write and rewrite your goals in everyday.
• Goals are very personal and some people may decide to keep them private but sometimes sharing those goals creates a sense of accountability. I have shared with you my goal to lose 150 pounds, now I need to make it personal, positive and present to make it really effective. That would look something like:

"I weigh X pounds by July 2009" (still not quite ready to announce my weight)

I have seen the power of setting goals in my career now I am going to harness that power and apply it to my health. I hope these tips help you be able to do the same if you so choose.

Obese and Preggers, not a good mix

A big part of the reason I am really serious about losing the weight this time is that Jon and I would like to start our family in the next few years. My doctor freaked out when I mentioned it saying that being pregnant now would be a disaster. So I wanted to research myself to see what the issues really are and well....she was right. Scary stuff to follow!

The first issue is actually getting pregnant. Being fat can interfere with fertility because your fat stores changes the levels of sex hormones the body produces. Add into the mix that many fat women have polycystic ovaries (blog on PCOS to come) and getting knocked up becomes a huge challenge.

Once you are pregnant you have an increased risk for many serious issues:

• Preeclampsia: This is a condition which causes swelling, high blood pressure and fluid retention. This sucks for mom but can be very dangerous for baby because it can restrict placental blood flow.
• Gestational Diabetes: This prevents your body from breaking down sugars and can cause the baby to gain too much weight in utero causing a dangerous and difficult delivery. It has also been proven that babies with high birth weight are more likely to suffer from childhood obesity.
• Cesarean section: If you are obese you are more likely to have a slow and difficult labor, this increases the chance having to have a c-section (can they do a tummy tuck at the same time???).
• We are more likely also to experience difficulty in our postpartum recovery.

So if you are thinking of starting a family, NOW is the time to get in better shape. You don't have to be an Olympic athlete but losing 10-20% of your body weight will make a big difference.

Celebrations!

I thought Monday would be a great day to take a few minutes to celebrate successes. First off, my good friend started on this program a week ago and has lost 13 pounds!!!! I am so proud of her, keep up the good work!
Her successes makes mine look a little lame but I am happy all the same. I have lost 13 pounds in the last 4 weeks, making it 23 since July 28th. Not too bad considering I haven't been able to exercise with my knee injury. That means I am 15% of the way to losing 150 pounds!

My short-term goal is to lose 40 pounds between Sept 1st and Jan 1st, 2009. That is 10 pounds a month, very doable. I also want to begin exercising again, slow and steady this time so I don't end up injured again.

Another small success for me is that a month ago I could barely get my wedding rings on and some days I couldn't wear them at all. Now they slide on easily and I don't even have to lube my fingers up with lotion. Woooooo Hoooooo!

Thanks to everyone for their support. I am really enjoying writing the blog so I am glad you guys are enjoying reading it.

Happy Monday!

A question about CLA

HI Everyone,

Someone emailed me to ask me my thoughts on CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) for weight loss. CLA is one of the only weight loss supplements that has been researched extensively and while the results look very promising, they are still inconclusive. CLA is a naturally occuring free fatty acid that is found in dairy products and meat. It is actually considered a trans fatty acid but not a harmful one like the ones in processed foods and margarine. It works by stopping small fat cells from getting larger, although the mechanism that it does this is not fully understood.

So what is the benefit of taking CLA? Studies have shown that it increases lean muscle gain and fat loss in the abdominal region. It also help people from regaining fat after dieting. CLA can also increase your immune system and there are some anti-cancer claims out there (obviously needs proper studies to back those claims up). Some studies have shown an increase in insulin resistance if taken long term while other studies have shown no effect on insulin uptake. This is the main reason I don't take it myself, my body is resistant enough to insulin so I don't want to take a chance. You take CLA in divided doses throughout the day and it seems the most effective dose is 3.4 grams a day (that would be 4 x 1000 mg capsules to get the proper amount of actual CLA).

My experience from talking to health food store personnel is that CLA works but it takes up to 2 months to notice any difference and the difference is not dramatic. As a supplement taking while following a healthy diet and exercise program, I think this shows promise. As a magic bullet, keep looking.

My top 10 favorite "healthy" foods

Got food on the brain this morning and thought I would do my top ten of favorite healthy foods. In no particular order :)

1. Food for Life Ezekiel English Muffins: These are awesome toasted with salsa and a poached omega 3 egg on them.
2. Organic Apples: I LOVE organic apples, I carry them with me in my car for after my lunch because they are nature's toothbrush. I also really like to make apple and peanut butter sandwiches.
3. Sunflower Kitchens Spicy Hummus: I don't have this often because it is hard to find but it is amazing. Best hummus ever!
4. Presidents Choice Burger First Multi grain buns: Now, generally I wouldn't consider wheat to be the healthiest option but I do love these buns. They are very thin and nutty flavoured. Great with peanut butter and apple. This is what Jon makes all of his sandwiches for work on now, he loves them.
5. Raincoast Trading Wild Skinless Boneless Sockeye Salmon: This stuff is amazing because all of the gross skin and bones (although the bones are good for you but I hate them) are out of the can. Only nice chunks of wild salmon are in the can. At around $4.99 a can, it is a great meal. I make salmon patties (salmon, one egg, dijon mustard, some whole grain cracker or bread crumbs, green onions, lemon juice and pepper) and saute them in a little olive oil with about a tsp of butter in it for taste. They are awesome!
6. Mashed Cauliflower: I love potatoes like most of us but I never buy them. When Jon and I were on our low carb diet we started making mashed cauliflower instead and we actually prefer the taste to mashed potatoes. All you do is steam the cauliflower until it is very tender, add a little butter, salt, pepper and light cream cheese and mash the hell out of it. Good times!
7. Legumes: Chick peas, lentils, black beans and kidney beans are my favorites but there are so many types of beans available and their uses are almost limitless. I use them in curries, pasta sauces (chick peas are awesome in place of protein in pasta sauce), chili, dips, soups etc. I buy organic canned (Eden organic or Presidents Choice Organic), just make sure to rinse them well to bring down the sodium levels. Rinsing will also make them less gassy (or you for that matter).
8. Presidents Choice Blue Menu Butter Chicken sauce: Ok so still not ideal but this sauce is amazing and has half the fat and calories of their regular Butter Chicken sauce. Make with chicken breast and throw in some veggies to increase the health quotient and it is a great treat once in awhile.
9. Slimcakes: So these are actually an Isagenix product that we just stumbled upon and they rock my socks. They are an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie with 9 grams of fiber and 190 calories per cookie (they are big). Heated up, they are even better. We love these (maybe a little tooooo much).
10. Organic Fair trade coffee: So this is definitely one of my favorite things, although not necessarily healthy. It is very important to buy organic coffee because coffee crops are sprayed with tons of pesticides. Always buy fair trade because it helps to ensure fair pay for the workers in the fields and factories. I don't drink a lot of coffee now because of my adrenals but it is a real treat when I have it. My husband makes the best cup of coffee, one of the reasons I married him. We only buy organic, fair trade and there are so many options out there now that you can surely find one you will love.

So "These are a few of my favorite things". I have the urge to go watch the Sound of Music now.

Happy Friday Everyone!

Meals on the Run

HI guys,

This is a plug for a good friend of mine who is launching a new business providing freezer ready meals to people concerned with health and convenience. She uses only the freshest ingredients and organic where available and has ensured that the meals are portioned for weight loss.
She is a nutritionist who is passionate about making sure busy families don't have to sacrifice health for convenience. Her prices are amazingly affordable!
An example of meal options:
Pesto Chicken
Greek style Salmon
Blue Cheese Burger with Spring Onion

If you are interested in learning more, please email jenny.morden@vibranthealthcanada.com
or call her at 416-839-6510.

New study on "Sick" fat cells

Ok, as if my fat cells were not unsavory enough now I found out that they are sick!! A very cool new study from Temple University showed that the fat cells in Obese people were significantly different than those in lean people. There were several issues however the most notable was that the fat cells in obese people showed stress on the (big word alert) Endoplasmic Reticulum. The endoplasmic reticulum helps cells synthesize proteins and monitors how they are folded. When stressed, it produces several proteins that ultimately lead of Insulin Resistance.

This is very interesting stuff. I am insulin resistant and have been for quite some time. I was tested when I was a teenager with a glucose tolerance test (which SUCKED big time). Insulin resistance basically means that when your body releases insulin from the pancreas, the cells in the muscle, fat and liver do not respond and uptake it. This leads to high circulating blood glucose levels and forces the pancreas to secrete more insulin. In time, type 2 diabetes will develop in most people. Of course, this is not good.

Why this study is really cool because for years there have been theories about why insulin resistance develops and now they can link it to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER for short from now on). In this study it showed that in obese patients, levels of 19 proteins were higher in their fat cells. Several of these proteins were related to energy and fat metabolism. What the researchers concluded was that the ER might sense nutritional excess (overeating) and translate that excess into metabolic and inflammatory responses.

This is very interesting because it helps explain why diabetic people who have their stomach stapled show dramatic improvements in insulin resistance within days of surgery even before significant weight loss occurs. It seems that the immediate and dramatic decrease in calorie intake is responsible for this improvement. More and more is coming out about low calorie diets and increasing life span. Maybe this is a big contributing factor. Very cool stuff indeed!!

Long weekends are not good for my ass!

Well the last long weekend of the summer is over, hard to believe September is here. We had a busy weekend with bbq's and brunches, far too much food for a gal on a diet. Luckily I ended up with food poisoning yesterday (mother in law tried to kill me!) so maybe everything will balance out!?! :)
Back on the straight and narrow, I want to be down 40 pounds by Jan 1st 2009. 10 pounds a month is very doable I think.
Happy September everyone!

Why do I feel sooooo "burned out"? PART TWO

So once you figure out that your adrenals are running on empty, what can you do?
First thing is to try to remove the stressors in your life as much as possible or remove yourself from the stress by going on vacation. Jon and I rented a cottage for 2 weeks this summer and I noticed a difference in my energy levels within one day. If you are over-burdened at work, try to delegate some responsibilities elsewhere. If you need more help at home, hire a cleaning service or kick your partners ass. If you have friends who are dragging you down, distance yourself. You have to get as much of this stress under control as you can. It isn't easy but to get better, it is necessary.

The second thing you have to do is to change your sleeping habits. Try to be in bed by 10 pm (people with adrenal fatigue tend to get a second wind after 11 pm). Start winding down around 8 by turning all the lights down and trying to stay away from the TV or computer screen. The next point is VERY important: In the mornings try to sleep in as late as possible, to 9 AM if able. Between the hours of 7 and 9 AM your body produces the most cortisol that it will in the day so you will awake feeling much more rested and ready to take on the day. Take melatonin before bed if you have a hard time falling and staying asleep.

Food: What to eat and what to avoid

• Begin each morning with a glass of water with a sprinkle of sea salt in it (about a 1/2 teaspoon). If you suffer from high blood pressure skip this step.
• ALWAYS eat breakfast and preferably by 10 am.
• Skip fruit at breakfast and focus on high protein and grains. Fruit will spike your blood sugar too rapidly. Always avoid fruits that are high in potassium such as bananas,oranges and figs.
• Stay away from caffeine and refined sugars such as chocolate. I know it sucks but these stimulants further stress the adrenal glands and hopefully in time you will find you won't need them to keep you going throughout the day.
• Eat a high protein snack before bed if you have trouble falling asleep such as cottage cheese or yogurt.

There are also some good supplements you can take:

• Vitamin C daily 1000-2000 mgs
• Vitamin E mixed tocopherols 800 IU a day (2 x 400 IU capsules)
• B complex 50 mg twice daily plus added Pantothenic acid (1000 - 1500 mg/day).
• Magnesium citrate (400 mg) taken after 8 pm.
• AdrenaSENSE by Lorna Vanderhauge is a great supplement that contains many of the herbs (called adaptogens) that are recommended for strengthening the adrenals. It is easier than taking them all seperately. Another wonderful tonic filled with adaptogens and B vitamins is Ionix Supreme.
• You can also take adrenal extract (which is basically adrenal gland from bovine sources) and DHEA hormones but I only recommend doing this under the supervision and guidance of a Naturopathic doctor.

Adrenal fatigue takes quite a long time to remedy but you can feel the effects of some of these changes pretty quickly. Try sleeping in as much as possible and removing stress. Exercise is important but don't overwork your body. Keep it to brisk walking and light resistance training.

If you have any more questions about adrenal fatigue just drop me a line at louisevokins@gmail.com. Finding out that I had this syndrome has helped me immensely towards getting my life and energy back. Hopefully this info can help you.

Why do I feel sooooo "burned out"?

If you carry weight in your stomach area, you have to read this post.

At the beginning of 2008 my life changed dramatically. My energy levels which used to be very high, hit rock bottom. I used to be up at 6 AM easily without the alarm but it started to get very difficult for me to get out of bed. When I did, I never felt rested. I couldn't really get my ass in gear until mid morning and then I would crash again mid-afternoon. My emotions were raw and my threshold for handling stress was very thin. I relied on coffee to get me through the day and had INTENSE cravings for sugar. When it really hit home that something was seriously wrong was in April when Jon and I hired a personal trainer.

Our trainer would come at 6 am in the morning and really work us out 2-3 days a week. Some days I would be strong, others I could barely squeeze out 5 pushups before collapsing. But EVERYDAY when he left, instead of being energized, I crawled back into bed and slept for an hour or two. After 6 weeks of training, my body was not releasing fat at all in fact I had put an inch on around my stomach. WTF right???? It was then I realized I was suffering from something called ADRENAL FATIGUE.

The adrenal glands sit on top of the kidneys and their responsability in our bodies is to regulate stress by producing hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. If you experience prolonged or severe periods of stress, your adrenals can become burned out. This stress can be emotional, physical, or psychological. This means a death in the family, stress at work, an infection in the body, an athlete training too hard, or a divorce can all cause adrenal fatigue. In my case, I had a very bad virus prior to my wedding and then my wedding, plus work stress. The personal training was enough to push things over the edge.

Signs to look for are:

• Trouble getting up in the morning even if you went to bed early the night before.
• Never feeling rested and always tired for no reason.
• Feeling overwhelmed with life and all that is on your plate.
• Gaining weight in the stomach area.
• Needing coffee or sugary snacks to keep you functioning. Crave salty foods.
• Feel best after 6 pm.
• Decreased sex drive.

Now, I figured this out on my own and then it was confirmed by my homepathic doctor and generally you can decipher using the symptoms above if it is an issue for you. You can also see your regular or Naturopathic doctor and they can run some tests. When you know what the issue is, you can move forward in treating it. It is virtually impossible to lose weight when you are suffering from Adrenal Fatigue. This is why I was working out more than ever and actually gaining weight, I was putting my body under additional stress that it could not handle.

Digest this stuff and I will write more about how to help rebuild the adrenals later. As Oprah would say "This is HUGE people!!!"

Sushi Aftermath

Ok so I am up 3.5 pounds today. Obviously that is mostly water due to the sodium in the soy sauce and stuff (couldn't possibly be from the 12 pounds of sushi I ate!!). So today is a Cleanse day. What that means is I drink this highly nutritious and somewhat gross juice all day long. It is aloe vera based and contains herbs and nutrients to cleanse the body. I do this once a week although this week I will be cleansing on saturday as well. The rest of the days I drink two shakes a day and eat a regular meal.

Now these aren't your regular diet shakes, I call this stuff super food. It is 100% natural, no chemical crap to preserve it or sweeten it. They actually taste really good suprisingly. We mix them with water or almond milk and ice cubes in the magic bullet blender. It is nice and thick with no aftertaste. I dig these shakes bigtime and actually look forward to it.

What Jon and I have been doing most days is having a shake for breakfast and a shake for dinner and then eating lunch. I throw an apple, yogurt or something in for a snack 1-2 times a day as well. Our energy levels are through the roof. I notice it especially because I have adrenal fatigue (I will blog about this in an upcoming post) and since I started on this program I feel so much better.

You will notice I haven't mentioned the name of the products although if you google 30 day program or cleansing drinks, I am sure you can figure it out. This is because apparently I can get in trouble for talking about these products on blogs or social networking sites like facebook. If you want more info or have any nutrition questions for me just email me at louisevokins@gmail.com and I will respond. If I get some really good nutrition questions, I might answer them right in the blog (without mentioning the person who asked of course) so that everyone can benefit.

Anyways, time for me to get my ass in gear and choke down some cleanse drink. Good times.........

Word of Caution

Last night my hubby and I went to dinner and a comedy club with our friends. We had a great time except for the fact that we all ate WAY too much at dinner.

All You Can Eat Sushi is a bad idea people!! Listen to me dammit, I am a nutritionist and I speak words of reason. Stop after you finish the first boat of sushi, don't feel the need to eat one of everything on the menu, just because you can pop it into your mouth whole doesn't mean you should swallow it whole, and good god people always remember that this is NOT the last time you will ever eat. There will be more sushi in the future.

Now I need to shake off this California Roll hangover....I hope to hell the cure isn't more sushi!

What's the plan man?

So anytime I have ever had real success with weight loss in the past, it has been through low carb dieting. Leading up to our wedding last year, Jon and I both lost 60 pounds and felt great. Well post wedding, the carbs moved back in and we managed to put most of that weight back on. Damn carbs, they are like bad guests who you have a hard time getting rid of. We have dabbled with low carb a few times since but our bodies seem really resistant to the program.

*Let me make a little side note and confession about myself here: I am THE most impatient dieter on earth. I like to see results and I like to see them fast. It drives my husband insane because if I don't see results fast, I change the game plan. Now being a nutritionist, you would think I would know that slow and steady wins the race right? Let's not forget that I am a fat nutritionist and an Aries at that. I want it all and I want it now!!!*

Back to our story and how I ended up on the program I am on now. I went to my Doctor for my yearly physical, knowing she was not going to be a happy camper about my weight being back up. Oddly, my 3 days of near starvation didn't really make a difference on her scale (GRRR!!!). So I went, very hungry and very bitchy. When she walked into the room, she looked awesome. She had lost 50 pounds. Of course I asked her how and she told me.

The program she used was one I was a little familiar with because I had seen it before in some of the health food stores I take care of. I had always ignored it because it was a network marketing product which to me usually means over-priced and under-performing. I thought "Oh you poor fool Dr, you have been drawn in by those evil people and brainwashed" but you can't argue with results so I decided to have an open mind.

So I went home, still unconvinced but with websites to check out and DVD's to watch. I was SHOCKED by what I found. This company has had over 100 people lose over 100 pounds on their products, 7 people lose over 200 pounds and one dude has lost over 300 pounds!! Now outside of gastric bypass, this level of long term success is unheard of! Not only that but the formulas of the products are very impressive. Rich in B vitamins and minerals, good quality protein and fiber. Organic ingredients where possible. It looked like a nutritionists (fat or otherwise) dream program. Likely tasted terrible but I figured it was worth a try so I called my Doctor and said "Hook a sister up with a 30 day program". 2 days later it arrived and so far so good. I will post more later about how it works.

To tell or not to tell....

I am really struggling with whether to share my weight on this public blog. I think I will focus on my goal and getting there rather than the actual number. So my goal is to lose 150 pounds and I am down 20 pounds so therefore *grabs the calculator*....

I have 130 pounds left to lose!!

Maybe soon I will become brave enough to share where I started and where I am at. Time will tell.

How did I become a fat nutritionist?

How did Louise become a fat nutritionist? You might be wondering...or maybe you could care less. Either way, I am gonna tell you.

I have always been a "big" girl. When I was younger I was tall for my age and developed early. In grade six I joined Nutrisystem which was the beginning of a long diet road for me. I weighed 165 pounds. By the time high school hit, I was well over 200 pounds. When university came around I was bordering on 300. Throughout the years I would go up or down 40-60 pounds but I have not been under 200 pounds since Junior high...blows my freaking mind.

I have been on every diet known to man: Weight Watchers (4 times), Nutrisystem, Hypnosis, Atkins, F Plan, GI diet, Protein Power, Grapefruit, Low Fat, High Fat, Low Carb, High Carb I could go on and on. Then there were my stints of starvation/binging and all of my home made diets. Who knew that it wasn't healthy to live on boiled eggs alone??

I decided to study Applied Human Nutrition at University of Guelph. Just like the crazy dude who goes into Psychiatry, I wanted to solve my own problems. Did I figure them out? NO because weight issues are far more than what you eat. But I did gain a lot of insights into how the human body works and what we SHOULD be feeding it to perform optimally. Sadly it is not apple fritters and coffee. Apparently, an apple fritter a day does NOT keep the doctor away!

So here I am today, still figuring myself out but getting closer to the solutions everyday. I have uncovered some health issues which I will discuss in future posts because I know a lot of you are dealing with them as well. I have uncovered emotional tools to help me deal with that HUGE aspect of why I am 150 pounds overweight. And lastly, I have found a plan that seems to be working for me.

Who am I???

Hi there,

My name is Louise and I am a FAT nutritionist. It has been 5 days since my last bagel and cream cheese. Oh who am I kidding, I had one yesterday!

I have decided to blog about life as a Fat Nutritionist and my journey to becoming just a plain old Nutritionist. I live in Toronto with my husband of almost a year, Jon. He is a great guy and I am thoroughly enjoying married life. I have worked in the health food industry since my first year of University and as a sales rep for the last 9. I love my job, my company and my clients most days. It is a pretty good gig and I think I am pretty good at it.

I hope that this blog will help me share my three passions: Health, Food (good and bad) and Helping People. My goal is to lose 150 pounds and I am down 20 as of this morning. I invite you to join me on the journey as long as you PROMISE not to bring me a Blizzard no matter how much I beg!! :)